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Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Ammonite Love!

My mom was looking at my ammonite beads the other day, and said, What are these? I said, They're ammonites. She said, What's that? So today, I thought I'd share with you what ammonites are and some beady ammonite love!

Copyright-free stock image of a colony of ammonite fossils

Ammonites were prehistoric, squid-like, predatory creatures that lived in the oceans in spiral shells. They had beak-like jaws (like a squid or octopus) inside tentacles that snagged their prey, such as fish and crustaceans. They lived in schools and are a very abundant fossil. They went extinct with the dinosaurs.

Copyright free image of what swimming ammonites may have looked like.

Copyright free image of the swirls of an ammonite fossil.

These are ammonite fossils that I own. Notice the gorgeous nacre (mother of pearl) on this first one. It's even prettier in person!

Sue's ammonite fossils

Ammonites are quite popular in jewelry designs. Quite a few art bead makers make their own renditions of ammonite fossils to be used in jewelry. Here are some great examples for your beading pleasure!